Escape Fabric Overwhelm: Discover the Japanese Method for Organizing Your Stash 

I agree with you, I think fabric talks to you. I was buying fabric for my daughter, saw light cotton with hydrangea print. The moment I saw it, I knew it was a nightdress for my wife for a Christmas gift. She loves it.😊

Hi Toni. Great job. I organized my fabric collection a few weeks ago, with plans to sew through it this year. Wishing us all luck!

I am watching this now and almost thru it all. I see and admire so much your love for your fabrics. I am a fellow creative and have the same passion. Each piece means so very much to you as you fondle and dream on screen. You share your passion for each piece with us all. I love it. However, this is not organizing. My organizing side is going crazy watching this video, for the second time, mind you. I wanted to make sure I wasn't imagining things. Your eye is not on the prize. It is on the fabulous fabrics which I totally understand. Each one lights up your heart and mind. But organizing? I don't think so. You have all sorts of fabris in all sorts of different places. They are all totally mixed up, mixed up by fiber, mixed up by type, mixed up by color, print or solid. They are getting folded in a better way but they are going back in a drawer with all sorts of other fabrics in a dresser that holds drawere that have no plan. To me they aren't organized at all. It has taken everything in my power not to get on a plane and fly down and help you. The way I pulled from Kond0's book and practice, it ALL comes out of where it is. Then you go thru and purge, purge out of all. Then and only then can you effectively organize back into a working plan. So, it takes a day or two. Once there, you start dividing, I do mine by fiber first. Then I separater by type and color within last.You could have a closet with all your woolens, or drawers with all your linens, shelves with all your rayon prints, the better to ogle and be inspired. Do you see where this is going? When you want a piece, you know exactly where to go to get it. When you bring it home and wash it, you know exactly where to put it away, with its like friends. So easy so simple so organized. I wish you the best with your methods and if it works for you fine but I bet if you tried the actual complete Kondo method, you would find a lot more time to be creative. The method is freeing when done and clears your mind for far more creativity. I know personally. Best wishes on your project.

Thank you so much. These tips are much needed. I started a few days ago, and with your video I'm definitely not going to stop. Thanks again.

Yes, yes and yes! I just reorganized my fabrics but this video held some new insights so I ordered the tape and I’m committed to keeping up with what I have so I can make some beautiful things! Tfs!

Definitely. I saw a printable page on a website that could be put in a 3 ring binder that had a space to put a little cut of the fabric, what it was, yardage, etc. I like what you are doing but I would like to try using the note book page also.

What an incredible amount and variety of fabrics! But it does look very satisfying to get it organized.

I cut a piece of the fabric and stick it in a book with the date length of material linen etc and what I think I want to make with it. It’s great to see all the things you made and when…. A new page for the next fabric purchased …

As someone who just ripped their studio apart yesterday, this was the video I NEEDED in my life!

I so wish I was there to help you along. I love to organize and am an avid sewist and fabric lover. 5 years ago I did a huge purge of my space pending a major move. I've learned a lot and have managed to maintain order in my new home and offer a few suggestions here. I did my purge/re-org at the height of Kondo love. First, I don't think her joy question is appropo to fabric collectors. We love pretty much all of our fabrics. The question I asked of ever fabric I owned was "Will I ever really truly sew this piece of fabric?" Then I had to be honest with myself. It brought my stash down to half and a realization that there is always more to buy along with the fun that brings. OUt it all went. It felt light and wonderful. I did the same with notions, books, etc. Next, ALL, ALL, ALL fabric came out to be judged and organized further. No drawer by drawer, closet by closet. It made true organization far easier. Third, all the cardboard measuring you did for your drawers can be done faster and easier with a 6x24 inch acrylic quilters ruler. The extra length makes things easy to fold. The hard suface lets you smooth the fabric perfectly and with no wrinkles anywhere. Every fabric is a perfect match. You keep the ruler inside the fabric as you fold around it and then slip it out at the very end. Works for whatever size you need up to 24 inches. Next, Do each storage situation one at a time but totally empty. In other words, take out all drawers of the little dresser and empty all of them. Lay them sideways and start stacking your fabrics in them. This way you can put various fabrics in drawers, one of a kind to each drawer, knits in one drawer, quilting cottons in another, etc. You can even arrange by color. This takes not extra t ime doing it this way. I guarantee you, it will bring you joy. Have fun. Fly me in and I will help with the rest! ;)

I need and want to sew from my stash but probably wouldn't put in all the time to fold everything like you are, TBH - I admire it, but I know me - I'll probably continue my current method of storing fabric in large plastic containers. I go through them before each season and pull out likely prospects and put them in a visible spot in my sewing room as a visual reminder - because out of sight is out of mind and I forget what I have, too!!!

Love that for getting inspiration for a piece of fabric.

I don't have stash fabric. I put fabric pattern and notions in a clear box from target. Yes it takes lots of space, but I can find what I want to work on.

OMG!! Your technique worked wonders on my fabric drawers! It took me about 6 hours but it was totally worth it! I wish I had a way to send you before and after pics! I also measured each piece of fabric and inserted a piece of paper with the width and length of each one. I saved enough space to store my steamer and a few shoulder pads. Thank YOU!

As a quilter, I’m a fabric collector extreme! I probably have at least 4 times the amount of fabric you have…5 dressers full in my garage. Plus 3 dressers full in my sewing room. Plus 12 bolts of basic fabric for backing and binding. But I’ve been collecting for over 10 years. Love your folding method!

I recommend folding fabric a bit closer to the top of the drawer for thinner ‘bolts’ . Also, placing them left to right ( front to back of the drawer will let you see all the fabrics without pulling the drawer all the way out. I hope this is clear though it might not suit everyone)

For my garment fabrics, I have two large underbed storage containers; one is for KNIT fabrics only, and the other is for WOVEN fabrics only. They are folded lengthwise, then rolled. I have lots of scrap cottons that are cut into strips, and those strips are tied around the rolled fabrics, and marked with the width and length of each piece. For my quilting fabrics, I have another totally different system for storing them (we won't get into that!)

Yes, my sewing room and a closet or two are stuffed with fabric. I know there are some pieces I do not want. I will try my hand at selling them online. I need to find what I actually want to sew for spring. Thank you!

Great method. I’ve used the KonMari method with clothes. Yes! I plan on only sewing from my fabric stash this year.

Great ideas and yes I hope to sew from my stash this year too.

Great ideas Toni. I organized my stash by type in different bins. I think I'll go back and do a little more folding. Since I don't want to pull fabric out and check the tab and put it back in if it's the wrong size, I'm thinking of fastening the ID along the top of the fold, like file folder tabs. I wonder if the tape will leave a mark. Worth a try maybe.

I’m in the process of doing the same. My husband built me some shelves in my closet and I’m organizing them in this manner. I’ll organize my bins of fabrics that dont fit on the shelves or in the drawers the same way.

Thanks for the tips on how to sort, fold etc. Here in Pasadena, CA where I live there is a store, Remainders Creative Reuse, where fabrics etc. can be donated. Other suggestions would be to donate fabrics to women's shelters or maybe schools for craft projects.

Great video. I recently organized my fabric. I think I have a lot for a beginner sewist but definitely not as much as you. I have the yardage stacked in my closet by type. I can see all of it when I walk into the closet. This year I’m only shopping my stash. I’m making room for the ridiculous haul I intend to do in June on my trip to Japan. I’m going to visit NIPPORI!

I also keep yardage on bolts...and the rest are in clear tubs on shelves in my quilting room, by color, or fabric line, or precut. I also found a rolling drawer trolley at the thrift store with 12 drawers...that I keep for fabrics that I find at the thrift shops, for my Charity Quilts...to keep that separate..

I imagine having a sewing space. One reason why I'm moving.

Such a motivating video! I need to fold my fabric AND buy the KATM id tape. Thank you❤

Really neat idea.... thank you !!! 💙💜

Fantastic!!!! Do many ideas to try. Thank you.

Will you be making a video on organizing your "scrap" pieces? Partly because I am a quilter in addition to making garments, I have a lot more scrap than I do fabric that folds well like you are doing. I currently use plastic bins sorted by color (well, I have to resort it now, honestly...too long of a story). Some of my "specialty" fabrics, like filmy, satiny, or silky things have their own box, regardless of color. On the bright side, I always fold my fabric before I put it in my boxes.

Real good, thank you.

I think this is a great idea, especially if you have smaller amounts of cotton. I have a lot of lg cuts of knits which will require folding on the floor and I’m not sure that they will stay vertical in the bins. I will try it with my cottons first.

Super idea! I have been storing my fabric in the drawers of a dresser but I had used the "traditional" method of folding. Eager to try this! Do you have any ideas for storing the "scrap" pieces which are not large enough for a garment? I want to keep these pieces for smaller, possibly pieced, items. Thank you for your ideas, encouragement and energy!

I did the drawers I have folding the quilting fabric like you did. I need to get the bins. All of my garment fabric that I have room for are on hangers in closets. I am going to try your clear bins and put them in like you showed. My fabrics are out of control. Would like to see you do a video (you may have and I just haven't seen it) on pattern storage.

Hi Toni great organisation…… I will be doing the same. Don’t feel guilty….get rid of the scraps…. No room in my brain for them

I did the Kon Mari version where I roll the fabric and stack them on a bookshelf. I also sort by wovens, knits, and quilting cottons. Are you going to show your organization of your notions and tools, too?

I forgot to ask...do you have any ideas for storing the digital patterns which you print at home? The paper is so much thicker; and, they don't fold so easily. I've tried rolling them but they end up to be such odd sizes.

Maybe an inventory sheet. Then you can do a find by color and/or fabric before you buy more?

When I buy fabric I take a picture of it with my phone and keep the photos in an online album. I wash it and then it either goes in the woven or jersey bin.

I have a fairly sizable stash, as I was in 'collecting, trying, learning mode, my first 3 years of sewing. I've recently done a reorganization myself and organized by type as much as possible. i.e. corduroy, viscose, sweater knits, athletic fabrics, dress making cottons, denim, etc. It makes finding them much easier. I don't have a big sewing community around me, so I'm still hanging on to the 'inferior' quality fabrics because I don't know what to do with them. I do use them as toile fabric, but once finished and of no further use, they get added to my ever growing 'stash' of scraps & project left overs, which I also have no idea what to do with. What did you do with all the scraps you took out of the bin and put on your table? Thanks!

Love this!

I can mostly only see you, the camera isn't on the cutting table to see what you are doing.

Toni where do you find your fabric tape?

Comic Boards are thinner than cardboard, takes less room

It’s time to get sewing 🧵 Toni!!!